TL;DR
- Justin Sun described as “fabricated” the reports accusing HTX-linked wallets of sending small unsolicited USDT transfers to unrelated addresses.
- The issue is not theft but regulatory compliance: HTX is classified as a sanctioned counterparty in the United Kingdom and the European Union.
- HTX denies having made the transfers and points to possible wallet mislabeling by blockchain explorers as the source of the misunderstanding.
Justin Sun, founder of TRON and owner of the exchange HTX, publicly rejected the accusations claiming that wallets linked to his platform had sent small amounts of USDT to unrelated addresses.
Sun wrote on X: “The investigation is clear: everything is fabricated.” However, he provided no details, did not identify the accusers, did not describe the transfers, and offered no explanation of the scope of the internal investigation.
The allegations gained traction among traders circulating screenshots showing unsolicited deposits in wallets labeled by blockchain explorers as belonging to the exchange. A trader identified as 紫夜 (0xZiye) reported receiving $7.5 USDT in his Coinbase account and attributed the transfer to HTX. The amounts recorded in these cases reached up to $12 USDT, a figure higher than what typically characterizes so-called dust attacks.
调查真相已明：一切都是瞎编的 https://t.co/jtBYZMAj0S
— H.E. Justin Sun 👨🚀 🌞 (@justinsuntron) August 18, 2026
Justin Sun Under the Shadow of Regulatory Compliance
The core of the issue is not the value of the funds but the regulatory implications. Sun’s exchange is classified as a sanctioned counterparty in the United Kingdom and the European Union, meaning that any wallet that withdrew funds from HTX after May 26 could be considered in violation of those sanctions. This explains why Coinbase temporarily froze the account of 0xZiye upon detecting the incoming funds linked to the platform.
Analyst Phyrex, widely followed on X, confirmed that 0xZiye’s account was reinstated and that Coinbase referred the case to its internal departments, including the legal team, through its Singapore subsidiary. He also indicated that he maintains direct communication with the HTX team.
HTX Points to Wallet Labeling
In an official statement, HTX denied having made transfers or tests of any kind and announced it would not speculate until its internal review was complete. Molly, the exchange’s marketing lead, ruled out any irregular conduct and mentioned both a possible misunderstanding and a potential act of deliberate sabotage.
Justin Sun’s exchange also noted that blockchain explorers and analytics firms assign labels to wallets through ownership declarations and clustering techniques, and that a visible label does not constitute proof that the identified exchange authorized a payment.
After reviewing tens of thousands of deposit and withdrawal orders, HTX reported finding no new cases of frozen funds. To date, no security researcher has publicly linked the disputed deposits to a specific operator.
